NationStates Jolt Archive

What's your favorite operating system?

I might add a poll later on based on the most popular operating systems.

I'm currently using Windows XP and Fedora 7 (just recently).

Debian GNU/Linux

It is pwntacular.

Win. 3.1

I'm using Ubuntu, and loving it.

Like Posi's (thanks for your help, Posi, by the way) I am using a Debian GNU/Linux system.

It is so wonderful, even someone as computer illiterate as me can set up their own ADSL link.

I'm also using Ubuntu. I used to have a server with Debian on it, so it felt natural to move to Ubuntu when it was time to get rid of Windows on the desktop.

Windows Vista, obviously.

Ubuntu, just deleted my XP partition a couple of weeks ago for more space. Best Linux distro by a mile, after I tried out SuSE and Mandriva and they both pissed me off.

I've got a Mac too, but I don't use that so much these days.

FreeBSD, but I use Gentoo Linux as my main OS. FreeBSD lacks almost all proprietary software without enabling Linux compatibility, so I use Linux.

So far, Ubuntu, specifically 7.04 (Feisty). The most usable and easiest to set up OS I've ever used (including WinXP).

Windows XP

(Ubunti is winning the Linux count so far)

Windows XP

(Ubuntu is winning the Linux count so far)
It is also winning overall.

I'm really partial to OS-X (can't wait til Leopard) and Ubuntu. My office webserver is CentOS, though. I dig it as well.

Have three different computers at home with three different operating systems. However what I use most is XP.

Not Windows.

So far, Ubuntu, specifically 7.04 (Feisty). The most usable and easiest to set up OS I've ever used (including WinXP).

Ubuntu rules, windows is easy to use but crappy to keep clean, and nobody cares about mac OS.

Windows XP.

Right now I am looking for a new computer, but I don't want to use Windows Vista because of the things I've heard about it. Are there any other (less buggy) OS that can run windows based games (like FSX) and games that were made to run on Windows and Mac?

Also, is there a website that sells the computer without an OS, and let the person install the OS of his choice?

Windows XP.

Right now I am looking for a new computer, but I don't want to use Windows Vista because of the things I've heard about it. Are there any other (less buggy) OS that can run windows based games (like FSX) and games that were made to run on Windows and Mac?

Also, is there a website that sells the computer without an OS, and let the person install the OS of his choice?

If you want to reliably be able to run Windows games, you need Windows. And if Windows XP is working for you, why not continue to use it?

You should probably look into Vista, though, if games are important to you. Soon every game will be for Vista only. That's just the way it is.

Not Windows.

That be a vote for OS/2 then?

If you want to reliably be able to run Windows games, you need Windows. And if Windows XP is working for you, why not continue to use it?

You should probably look into Vista, though, if games are important to you. Soon every game will be for Vista only. That's just the way it is.

Because all the new computers out there run Windows Vista and the SP1 for Vista isn't even out yet!

That be a vote for OS/2 then?

If we are talking underdogs...
Os/2 was lovely. BeOS, with its haiku error messages, also amused me.
DSL (damn small linux) is still very useful. As are Knoppix (not really an underdog ;)) and BartPe generated Windows PE editions (I dislike the official Windows PE).

Because all the new computers out there run Windows Vista and the SP1 for Vista isn't even out yet!

Vista isn't that bad. Well, I happen to think it is, but the worst crap in Vista, which at least in my opinion is Genuine Advantage and re-activation on hardware changes, were also present in XP. If you buy hardware good enough for Vista to run well, it's probably going to be pretty good for you.

And if you don't want to get Vista yet, why not buy a new computer and continue using XP on it until you think Vista is ready? Yes, you CAN buy a computer without any operating system, from Dell among others.

Unless one gets specific, 32bit WinXP is best. It's not the most stable, cheapest or most userfriendly OS, but software-wise it's the best supported OS to date, and unless otherwise specified, that has to be what counts. Too bad shit can end up being the best simply by being the most popular, but that's how things go.

75% Kubuntu Linux (Main PC, day to day)
15% Damn Small Linux (Laptop, every few days)
10% Windows XP (Games. That's it. Not very often)

So my vote is for K/X/Ubuntu

I use Gentoo Linux for normal everyday things and have a Debian/GNU/HURD as toy OS.

My main PC dual-boots XP Pro and Vista Business. My old PC dual-boots XP Pro and Ubuntu 7.04, and I have an old laptop that still chugs along on WIn98SE (although it's starting to stutter and I'll probably throw Win2K onto it at some point, if it lives long enough).

My favourite? It's horses for courses, tbh. If I'm just sitting down to wander around the web, or to play a game or two, I'll use XP Pro. I very rarely boot into Vista, since I just plain don't like it. Actually, that's a little unfair... it's not just that I don't like it, but that I simply can't see any current reason to use it in preference to XP Pro. I do like to play around with Ubuntu, but again it doesn't seem to offer any advantages over XP (for me).

Contrary to the experiences that so many people report, I've found XP Pro to be exceptionally stable. Since installing SP1 on it whenever that was (late 2002? early 2003?) I haven't had one single crash and so, much though it surprises me to be saying it, I'm going to have to go with XP Pro as my 'favourite'.

MS-DOS 5.0

Everything worked back then. *nods*

(I'm still using Win98SE)

currently using Vista Ultimate. Best OS I have used to date.
Incredibly stable on my setup and never have any problems...

Also love Ubuntu, mainly for ease of use.
But I'm wasting what my pc is capable of on Linux at the moment sadly..

Win. 3.1

I preferred 3.11 - to me the high point of windows development before it all went completely arse.

My desktop is running XP (for gaming purposes, needs an upgrade though), and my laptop is running Ubuntu 7.04 (KDE installed on it as well).

I have to say that for anything other than gaming I much prefer Ubuntu - the only trouble I've had with it has been self-inflicted (playing with wireless drivers when they worked anyways).

I'm going to keep the setup when I re-build my desktop, as I havn't had many problems with XP, it just takes a lot more work and maintainance to keep it working smoothly (and I like playing SupCom/Guild Wars)

i use XP pro. it does the job fine and i have no complaints. networking is easy (though one of the lastest updates has been a pain in the ass) and its good and stable for my needs.

i do have a problem with WMP 11 not playing MPG or MPEG files, but that's WMP not xp... probably a problem with my codecs. where can i get 'official' mpg codecs from, people??

i do have a problem with WMP 11 not playing MPG or MPEG files, but that's WMP not xp... probably a problem with my codecs. where can i get 'official' mpg codecs from, people??

For most codecs I just install VLC media player -

http://www.videolan.org/. It doesn't come with Real format codecs, but does have just about everything else (although the DVD codec doesn't give the best quality out there)

i do have a problem with WMP 11 not playing MPG or MPEG files, but that's WMP not xp... probably a problem with my codecs. where can i get 'official' mpg codecs from, people??

No, it's a codec problem, and that file will probably not play in any other DirectShow player either. I'm pretty sure Windows comes with an mpeg decoder, but who knows what format the file is really in; it might be DivX, real media or anything really and only named .mpg. As mentioned, VLC can probably play it as it has all decoding functionality built in.

You could inspect the file in a program such as gspot, which will tell you which codecs you need for a file, and then install those, or you could install something like CCCP (www.cccp-project.net) which will probably install what you need as well as a whole lot more.

MS-DOS 5.0

Everything worked back then. *nods*

(I'm still using Win98SE)
errr, memory management was still rather... flaky! DOS 6.22 however... *gets nostalgia* *boots to FreeDOS 1.0* *is freed from nostalgia almost instantaniously*

I preferred 3.11 - to me the high point of windows development before it all went completely arse.
Sorry, but cooperative multitasking is a crime against humanity! IMHO the best windows was NT 4.0

Not necessarily in order of preference:

Contiki OS
GEOS
AmigaOS 2.05 , 3.9 and 4.0
QNX
DR-DOS
z/OS
Symbian
TRON

Not necessarily in order of preference:

Contiki OS
GEOS
AmigaOS 2.05 , 3.9 and 4.0
QNX
DR-DOS
z/OS
Symbian
TRON
Have you ever tried Contiki for something? I am seriously interested!

So far...

Ubuntu - 5
Win XP - 3
Vista - 2
Debian Linux - 1
Win 3 - 1
FreeBSD - 1
Gentoo - 1
MS-DOS - 1
Fedora - 1

Windows XP, though I'd like to try Vista.

Windows. I'm not running a massive server, so I have no need for that extra stability at the price of not being able to use loads of software and games which aren't compatible.

What's your favorite operating system?

I might add a poll later on based on the most popular operating systems.

I'm currently using Windows XP and Fedora 7 (just recently).

The best would be Plan 9, which I'm unfortunately not using.

Otherwise, Linux (Ubuntu at the moment, but I'm looking at others) or FreeBSD.

I haven't played around too much with OS's... we had Mandriva on the computers in the physics office and that worked pretty well (although it crashed a couple of times on me... usually when I tried to open spreadsheets that were written in excel), I didn't like Solaris (which was on my computer in the physics office) and I don't like that windows spies on me (although it's otherwise alright I guess).

As soon as I get my computer up and running again I think I'm backing up my data and going for Debian.

The best would be Plan 9, which I'm unfortunately not using.
My experiences: in limerick form:

There was an OS called Plan 9
Which I thought did what I need fine
I gave it a shot
but it booted not
and that was for me quite a sign.

(apparently I'd have to edit and recompile its kernel before I could install it)

Another one:

While being long anticipated
the HURD is still being created.
you still are not able
to run this thing stable!
I am slowly growing frustrated!

errr, memory management was still rather... flaky! DOS 6.22 however... *gets nostalgia* *boots to FreeDOS 1.0* *is freed from nostalgia almost instantaniously*
Mmh. Maybe it was DOS 6.22 after all.

The latest MS-DOS with Win 3.11 before Win95 came about...

Mmh. Maybe it was DOS 6.22 after all.

The latest MS-DOS with Win 3.11 before Win95 came about...
That was 6.22... Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end. / We sing and dance forever and a day...

Any of the liberated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software) *nix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/*nix)

Also, is there a website that sells the computer without an OS, and let the person install the OS of his choice?

Such operations are probably mostly individual people who buy parts and assemble the computers themselves. In which case, why not just eliminate the the middle man and buy and assemble parts yourself?

As far as a "Dell," "HP," or other similar large company-type operation...not that I know of. The proprietory-sector isn't really into that whole "choice" thing. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Tax#Licensing_agreements) Freedom threatens the bottom line.

Any of the liberated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software) *nix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/*nix)

Free software?

Some Linuxes are paid software these days.

For work/networking/server environment: debian
For ActiveDirectory and Exchange: Windows Server03
General desktop use: Vista/XP

Free software?

Some Linuxes are paid software these days.

Some, most not. And even the "paid" ones have free versions for the most part.

(OpenSUSE and Fedora for example)

Some, most not. And even the "paid" ones have free versions for the most part.

(OpenSUSE and Fedora for example)

I noticed Dell are shipping Ubuntu with desktops BUT charging Vista-like prices for the OS.

Free software?

Some Linuxes are paid software these days.

There is a distinction drawn between "free" software and "gratis" software, the latter having to do with a lack of monetary charge. Free Software must be "free," but it does not necessarily have to be "gratis."

The Free Software Foundation defines "free" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software#Definition) as thus:

"* Freedom 0: The freedom to run the program for any purpose.
* Freedom 1: The freedom to study and modify the program.
* Freedom 2: The freedom to copy the program so you can help your neighbor.
* Freedom 3: The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits."

Neither Freedoms 2 or 3 prohibit charging money (or whatever else) for a copy of a particular piece of Free Software, but they do mean that there will always be a "gratis" copy of a particular piece of Free Software available. Requiring payment as the only means of gaining access to a piece of software contradicts Freedoms 2 and 3 because such would limit the freedom to copy and release the software and improvements.

Why pay for Free Software if a "gratis" copy is always available? I might be unfamiliar with a particular piece of Free Software, and thus value packaged bundles which provide everything I need get to started on a set of physical CDs or DVDs. I find such packaging convenient and am thus willing to pay for it. Bundles or packages might also be sold with support or maintenance agreements, in which case I am also paying for a programmer's or other's labor.

You'll notice that both examples involve the production and consumption of actual labor or limited physical resources that inflict significant cost in production (CDs, DVDs, books, etc.); Free Software does NOT oppose compensating the laborer for instances of actual labor or the cost in physical media (the extra emphasis on the "not" there is intended only to denote that misconceptions concerning this point are extremely common...)


Speaking for myself, recognizing that opinions among Free Software advocates vary widely, what is opposed is the laborer laboring once to create a piece of software and then taking advantage of the non-physical nature of software to charge money for an essentially infinite supply of copies which are produced at essentially no cost (enough "labor" to right-click and select "Copy" and "Paste"). Such ignoble behavior is made possible by the ability to require payment as the only means of gaining legitimate/legal access to a piece of software.

I would personally consider society having to pay ad infinitium for one instance of labor as extremely silly -- and rent, usury, exploitation, and theft when combined with the coercive support/protection/force of the state. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property)

AmigaOS 3.9

Haven't used it much lately, but that's my favorite hands down.

I noticed Dell are shipping Ubuntu with desktops BUT charging Vista-like prices for the OS.

Not quite true ... but the effect is the same there is no "operating" system fee they just fail to discount it as much as the windows equivalent.

At least from what I have seen

Considering I just got done trying for about the fifth time to get Ubuntu working on my laptop, I can say with confidence that Windows XP is my favorite. I was really into the whole Linux thing, too. Ahh well. Back to the status quo.

Free software?

Some Linuxes are paid software these days.
He said liberated, which should be a hint that he does not mean gratis free. He means, libre free.

Not quite true ... but the effect is the same there is no "operating" system fee they just fail to discount it as much as the windows equivalent.

At least from what I have seen

Digging around - it seems a difference of $US50.

Windows XP Pro and SimplyMEPIS Linux (which is like the best Linux EVER)

Vista Ultimate. Mainly took it on out of interest, but I've grown to actually really like it. Any time I've tried Linux it's been a massive pain. Last time Ubuntu took 6 hours before I saw a desktop, and then another day trying to configure drivers and software before giving up and going back to XP.

Have you ever tried Contiki for something? I am seriously interested!
On real hardware (C64) browsed a little with it back when it was just a browser and a http-server.

Virtually, there's a link on contiki homepage to java-based c64 emulator running and old version of Contiki:

http://www.sics.se/contiki/perspective/run-the-commodore-64-version-of-contiki-anno-2004-in-your-browser.html

That was 6.22... Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end. / We sing and dance forever and a day...
As long as my 386 at home lives, so does DOS 6.22 and Win 3.11.

What's your favorite operating system?

Either the Abacus 1.0 or The Hand Mk 1.

I don't like Vista for very serious performance and space-hog issues.

As a gamer and resource conservationist, XP2 professional is my firm favourite.

By the way, anyone got inside info on XP SP3?

I don't like Vista for very serious performance and space-hog issues.

As a gamer and resource conservationist, XP2 professional is my firm favourite.

By the way, anyone got inside info on XP SP3?

Not this year!
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=54

I'm currently using Vista. I do prefer XP, but that's mainly due to experience with XP. Also, C&C3 crashes on Vista.

My experiences: in limerick form:

There was an OS called Plan 9
Which I thought did what I need fine
I gave it a shot
but it booted not
and that was for me quite a sign.

(apparently I'd have to edit and recompile its kernel before I could install it)

Another one:

While being long anticipated
the HURD is still being created.
you still are not able
to run this thing stable!
I am slowly growing frustrated!

Very nice *applauds*

Plan 9 will boot on my machine as a live CD, but doesn't talk to my hard drive, which renders it tricky to install.

I'm currently using Vista. I do prefer XP, but that's mainly due to experience with XP. Also, C&C3 crashes on Vista.

You'd think they'd have Vista-compatible patch of C&C3 by now.

I don't like Vista for very serious performance and space-hog issues.

As a gamer and resource conservationist, XP2 professional is my firm favourite.

By the way, anyone got inside info on XP SP3?
If you are conserned about resources, why not use Win 2k?

You'd think they'd have Vista-compatible patch of C&C3 by now.

It's EA, what can you expect? They never fixed the crash bug in SimCity 4, which is insanely annoying.

Hours of work, only for it to go in an instant.... AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!

It's EA, what can you expect? They never fixed the crash bug in SimCity 4, which is insanely annoying.

Hours of work, only for it to go in an instant.... AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!

I did notice EA don't release a lot of patches. I have original C&C, but I don't think that's going to work on XP let alone Vista.